Yes, this one made me smile. Chuckle actually and even snigger a bit. But well, you gotta admire the guy’s guts (gall?), don’t you?

Who cares about making a statement on one’s tee-shirt? (remember those black tees with a humongous picture of the middle finger? Sooo unclassy, so un-I Style! ish). Move over animal-print underwear, here’s the man who flaunts a tiger on his back-pocket!!!

The only place in India apart from Goa, where the Carnival is held is in IC Colony , Borivali (w).

Though this year there were more Advertising floats than People’s parade floats maybe due to low prize money or the overall recession. Nevertheless the turnout and people participation in the parade was decent.

After the parade the event moves to the ground where there’s music ,dance, games, fun & Food. There no booze allowed anymore but people do manage to smuggle in.

King Momo : Not the ones you eat at Tibetian joints, read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Momo_(Carnival_character) , here in IC Colony its normally the guy who been around for a while and bit famous. ( Earlier Momo’s include Martin from Martin Driving school and Oscar from IC Medical , Louis from Louis stores (need to confirm on that)Float : A float is a decorated platform, either built on a tempo, Rickshaw, Bullock- cart, or towed behind a moving vehicle

A US Congressional delegation is visiting Mumbai to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to India, 5 decades ago.

The delegation includes Martin Luther King III as well as other prominent Black leaders from the USA.

He, along with US Representative John Lewis, who was part of the civil rights movement, and congressman Spencer Bachus were present at the historic Gateway of India on Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of late Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s visit to India to study Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophies.

“I am honoured to be here to retrace the steps of my father who came to pay tribute to Mr Gandhi,” said Martin Luther King III in his opening statement. According to him, this 50-year-commemoration is extremely important as right now the world needs the message of non violence more than ever. He believes it is also the time to applaud the spirit of the people here. He added, “Mumbai is a great city that can and has overcome tragic circumstances.”

The location was chosen to speak about the importance of peace and non-violence and the philosophies shared by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr as it has been witness to a lot of bloodshed in the recent terror attacks. Also present were Andrea King, wife of Martin Luther King III, Congresswomen Jackson Lee and Loretta Sanchez.

Friday* evening is when the city comes alive with a vengeance. As if it were sleeping the rest of the time. But Fridays are a frenzy of partying and drinking and laughing too loud. In a frantic attempt to drown out the panic of life running out faster than we can make sense of it.

One such Friday, I stayed in late at work. Of course the work never ends. I suppose I could have left earlier. Met a friend for coffee. Or another for drinks. Or walked down the seaface. Or photographed flamingoes in flight. Or watched Aamir Khan’s debut performance as a director. Instead I took a walk.

Behind my office is an old building that used to be a factory. Now one half of it has been converted into a glossy glass-and-steel office complex. The other half is used as a parking lot. On a late Friday evening, there weren’t too many cars around. I strolled around in the semi-darkness. Not even a breeze…unusually warm, even for a Mumbai December.

In between the buildings is a long stretch of concrete road. No vehicles at that hour. No employees walking out of the building. Just the stars above on an unusually clear night, visible between asbestos sheets on one side and curved steel girders on the other.

I stepped into one of the open doorways. I wondered if this is what it felt to walk around in an old castle.

Heavy cylindrical pipes overhead, solid pillars and rusted metal staircases at the corners. Hundreds of busy feet must have walked this floor thousands of times over the years. Machines being oiled, a worker showing another one how to pull a lever, a foreman looking at a sheaf of papers, sparks in another corner. Things were made here, lives were built here, dreams were dreamt and realised…or shattered here. Hundreds and thousands of them. Don’t they say ‘put your heart into your work’? Those milling masses must have put their very souls into their work. I still feel them.

Mumbai was built on industry, on factories, on the hard labour of workers. They made this the city of dreams, the commercial capital of the country. The grit and hard-headedness that is taught to us as a way of life now were the lessons that they handed down from lives of unrelenting labour. They were my true ancestors. I haven’t forgotten.

Incidently this post was written almost a year ago. The building in the photograph does not look that way anymore, since it has been converted into yet another gleaming office complex. The mills shut down long ago and now with their buildings being revamped, it feels like the tombs of Mumbai’s ancestry are being razed away.

The Nine day annual fest begins today :-What you can expect : Gallery and pavement shows, exhibitions, literary events, film screenings, music concerts, dance performances, theatre shows, workshops, heritage walks, a food fiesta, and a buzzing street festival bring in audiences and participants from all over the city.